Open Prompt 2009 Response

2009 Prompt: A symbol is an object, action, or event that represents something or that creates a range of associations beyond itself. In literary works a symbol can express an idea, clarify meaning, or enlarge literal meaning. Select a novel or play and, focusing on one symbol, write an essay analyzing how that symbol functions in the work and what it reveals about the characters or themes of the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot.

            Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman is a play about a family who tries to live the American Dream. The problem is that this family, the Lomans, only know how to talk about the Dream and fail to ever take any action in achieving it. This is what ultimately leads to their downfall and the symbol of diamonds perfectly demonstrates this.

            Willy has always looked up to his older brother, Ben. Ben served as a type of father-figure for Willy, as well as a symbol of success. It is often mentioned that Ben went off to Alaska and became rich quick after finding diamonds. Diamonds, therefore, also became a symbol of success. The problem, however, is that this success is only ever spoken or dreamed. There is never any solid proof or evidence that success through diamonds was ever actually achieved by Ben. Success becomes an elusive matter, something almost impossible to achieve, just like the diamonds.

            Similarly, diamonds represent financial security. Money is important to Willy and is practically the equivalent to success. Willy believes money boosts confidence and gives a person something to be proud about. Not only that, but living comfortably is also a large part of the American Dream and Willy does everything he can to make people believe he is living it. Willy actually goes through extreme measures to try to trick even his own family into believing that he is making more money than he actually is. This further demonstrates how Willy doesn’t take action to achieve the American Dream and instead is content enough with simply telling everyone that he has.

            Finally, diamonds represent what Willy can never have. Willy may have, at one time, been successful, but he was never really rich and always craved more. In his thirst for more, however, he only gets less and becomes unhappy and unsuccessful. Willy becomes so unhappy that he continuously attempts to commit suicide. Towards the end of the play, Willy begins seeing many apparitions of his brother Ben, telling him to enter the jungle to finally get those diamonds. In other words, Ben tells Willy to commit suicide so that his family can receive $20,000 from their insurance company. The only way for Willy to finally get those diamonds is to kill himself, and after he’s dead he never actually receives the diamonds anyway, only his family does. In valuing the words that Ben told him, Willy takes his own life: his ultimate downfall.

            Miller’s Death of a Salesman depicts the harms of cherishing words over actions. Willy is obsessed with obtaining diamonds: a wide-ranging symbol of money and success. One might say that Willy had already achieved the American Dream, but he always wanted more, always searched for those diamonds. Meanwhile, he would pretend that he had the Dream and even tried to convince his own family of it. It ended up being this searching and deception that eventually lead to his downfall, his suicide.